Justia Legal Services & Lawyers Directory

Serving DuPage, Kane, Kendall & Will counties. Practice focused on domestic relations law: family law, divorce, separation, maintenance (alimony), custody, child support, domestic violence, pre-post-and ante-nuptial agreements.
I began my law career clerking then interning with the Kane County State's Attorney's Office (2001-2003) then since passing the bar I have focused my attention on family law.
Prior to law school I worked as a child advocate for abused and neglected children in Addison Illinois (1996-2000). From 1995-1996 I worked with the elderly population in an in-patient Alzheimer's/Dementia facility in Arlington Heights.

Born: Chicago, Illinois, April 15, 1964

Education: Northern Illinois University, B.S., 1986, Northern Illinois University, J.D., cum laude, 1989

Practice Areas: Family Law; Personal Injury; Automobile Accidents and Injuries; Dog Bites; Motorcycle Accidents; Workers Compensation; Slip and Fall; Products Liability; Truck Accidents; Aviation Accidents; Pharmacy Law

Membership: Illinois State Bar Association; Kane County Bar Association.

Admissions: 1989, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois

Miscellaneous Information: Delta Theta Phi. Member, Moot Court Society. Member, Northern Illinois University Law Review, 1988-1989.

Biography:

Mr. Jacobs graduated from Northern Illinois University where he received his Bachelor of Science Degree in 1986. Mr. Jacobs continued his education at Northern Illinois University where he graduated cum laude in 1989 and received his Doctorate of Jurisprudence degree. Mr. Jacobs became licensed to practice law on November 9, 1989. While in law school, Mr. Jacobs was honored by being appointed to the Law Review and was involved in moot court where he successfully won competitions.

Upon graduation from Law School, Mr. Jacobs began his career as an insurance defense litigation attorney where he represented companies including State Farm, Kemper, Hanover, Andover, McDonalds, Seven-Eleven and Southland Corporation.

In 1991, Mr. Jacobs opened his own law firm in St. Charles, Illinois where he concentrated in general litigation until 2000 when he co-founded the Law Firm of Shaw Jacobs and Associates, P.C. which concentrates in domestic relations law.

In addition, Mr. Jacobs maintains an active practice representing plaintiffs who have been seriously injured as the result of the negligence of another. Mr. Jacobs personal injury practice includes automobile accidents, dog bites, wrongful death and work related injuries.

Mr. Jacobs is a skilled litigator with a proven track record of success and over 18 years of trial experience in both bench and jury trials.

Mr. Jacobs has been a member of the American Trial Lawyers Association and is currently a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Kane County Bar Association.

CHRIS S. HAAFF owns and operates his own law firm in Crystal Lake, McHenry County, Illinois. He is an experienced litigator and negotiator in all aspects of family law, including divorce, paternity, adoption, custody and visitation, child and spousal support, surrogacy, and qualified domestic relations orders. Chris is a frequent writer and speaker statewide on family law topics, and is involved with both the Illinois State Bar Association and the University of Illinois College of Law. Chris has been recognized as an ISBA “Young Lawyer of the Year” for outside Cook County and selected in the McHenry County Business Journal list of “Top Ten Business Professionals Under Age 40.”

Ralph Elliott has been engaged in the practice of law in Freeport, Illinois since 1981. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with a Bachelor of Science Degree, Summa Cum Laude, earning Phi Beta Kappa recognition in 1978.He graduated from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1981.

Ralph is admitted to the practice of law in the state of Illinois, the federal courts for the Northern District of Illinois (including the Trial Bar), the Central District of Illinois, and the Federal Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

Kevin Bruning is a lawyer with more than twenty years of experience in the litigation field. Bruning & Associates, P.C. is a full service law firm devoted to providing high quality, cost efficient and effective legal representation to its clients. The firm was established in January 2000 and has experienced steady and measured growth since its inception. The diverse professional backgrounds of each attorney at Bruning & Associates provide a substantial compliment of expertise and specialization that permits the firm to provide comprehensive legal services to its clients.